5 key factors to consider when building your website
Are you planning to build a professional website for your business, online store or personal brand?
This post breaks the process in to 5 chunks that you can plan separately to help direct the course your project.
You have probably heard many times how important a professional website is for your brand, on the other hand, researching “how to build a website” can lead to a healthy dose of information overload. This breakdown helps you categorize all that new information you are learning.
If you’ve done any preliminary research, you have discovered some of these advantages to owning your own website.
- It lends credibility to your brand
- Makes you easy to find and contact
- Helps you engage directly with customers and your audience
- Enables you to automate your marketing.
What’s my domain name and where should I host?
Your domain name is your digital address. This is the first step to getting the ever-important online presence. Follow this rule to choose a domain name, make it short and simple, because it is then easy to share and remember.
Your host sets up a web server for you, think of this as a computer on the internet that stores all the information used by your website. Your host provides the space and resources you need, like a landlord, to easily communicate and be reached online. These resources include storage space, email capability, some even provide backup and security management. It is the basic infrastructure that supports your website.
Hosting services usually provide you with an option for purchasing your domain name.
You can find a list of good hosting services in this review: https://www.hostingadvice.com/reviews/
Additional details to remember:
a. A hosting service sells domain names that easily connect with their own plans even though you can connect pre-owned domains to new hosting plans. If you already own a domain name, find out if it will connect well with your new host
b. Hosting services optimize for certain technologies For example, Bluehost has hosting plans will improve the chances of a great web building experience while using WordPress.
c. As with the domain names, if you are already using an email service like GSuite or Zoho mail, make sure your host supports integration.
d. To receive payments directly through your website, include an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate in your hosting package. For more information on SSL, read our post that explains it in detail.
What kind of content will I produce?
Think about the information you want provide to visitors. Is it mainly text, are you planning a blog, will it be images or videos? This information varies depending on the purpose of the website. If you plan to market a product/service or compel your visitor to do something, consider hiring a copy writer. If you need to sell or rent properties, hire a professional photographer or videographer.
What information do I need to collect?
Think about all the information you require from your users. This could be their contact information, their project information and budget or as simple as answers to a survey. To collect information of any sort from your users in a safe and responsible manner, you will require a privacy policy. This explains to your visitors, what information you collect, how you use it, how you secure it and how you share it (if you do).
What functions do I absolutely need?
A website is a powerful tool which, like any good tool, is most effective when designed to perform a specific task because it is focused towards resolving a singular issue. Determine the core purpose for your website. This helps to control the process and channel your resources when building your web project. In this step you want to consider all the ways your visitors might use your site and how it should help you serve them. Will they register for a service, book an appointment or just buy a product? More complicated functions include things like geolocation and cart tracking.
What is my brand identity?
Your design works with your content to send a message about your brand. You can design your website by drawing influences from your industry, target audience, and content. Decide what the colors, styles, fonts and backgrounds should be. This could be determined by details like your industry, audience or personal preference.
This is a simple approach to planning your next website project. It is a broad overview but a great starting point if you are stuck. These are the questions that I have found need to be answered when building a website. The answers can be very different depending on the size and complexity of your project. Whether you plan to do it yourself, use a web builder, or a professional, answering these 5 questions will make it an overall easier process. There are many services online that will help you build and manage a professional website. Not all services that handle these different aspects of a website work well together.
At Clear Cut Communications, we are professional website designers, developers and all-round technology enthusiasts, we understand every step of the process and enjoy fitting the pieces together. Whether you want to be involved in the build process or just want an elegant and efficient website within your time-frame, we would help to create a digital home for your brand that brings you results.
Contact us today to get started!